Railway car door



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G.. G. GILPIN RAILWAY CAR DOOR .Filed Aug. 24, 1955 Z1-19'. ZZ

3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Aug, 24, 1933 Fig. E 3

Patented Apr. 14, 1936 UNITED STATES 'wagen 2,037,072 RAILWAY CAR Doon.

Garth G. Gilpin, Riverside, Ill., assigner to Union Metal Products Company, Chicago', Ill., a corporation of Delaware Application August 24, 1933, Serial No. 686,527

5 Claims.

The invention relates to doors for railway cars, such as are used for the floors of general service cars, at the end of the chutes in hopper cars, as drop end gates for mill type gondola cars and for box and refrigerator cars.

An object of the invention is to obtain a metallic door which is very light for its strength and rigidity and can be economically and quickly manufactured. These objects are obtained by welding together metallic sheets and bars of standard rolled sections which are obtainable in the open market, whereby a disposition of the metal of the component parts is obtained which is not obtainable by riveting or bolting.

The welding process of attaching the component parts of my, door together eliminates rivets, which are objectionable, as they interfere with the complete closing of the door. The door is made lighter by eliminating overlapping parts which 'are necessary! for a riveted joint. By welding the plates together cooperation of the component/parts is *obtained to resist stresses imposed upon them by the sustained load.

Another object is to obtain an improved method of construction whereby the machine operations as well as the labor time of fabrication and assembly necessary to produce the component elements may be reduced, and thereby the cost of manufacture may be lowered.

In the drawings:

Figs. 1, 2 and 3 showmy improved door as a part of the floor of a general service gondola car, wherein Fig. 2 is a section on line 2-2 of Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 is a section on line 3 3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 shows a modification of the construction shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 wherein the stiifening member overlies the flange of the marginal angle.

Figs. 5 and 6 show the stilfening member of varying depth.

Figs. 7 and 8 show the door reinforced `by a lateral stiffening member and diagonally disposed stiffening members.

Fig. 9 to 11 inclusive show a modification wherein the stiifening angle at the perimeter of the door is positioned with one arm extending outwardly.

Figs. 12 and 13 show the door reinforced by a pair of diagonally disposed stiifening members.

Figs. 14 and 15 show a door reinforced by a pair of diagonally disposed stiifening members which are secured together adjacent the middle of the door.

In the form of the invention illustrated in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 the door comprises a metallic plate 2 (Cl. -280) V and a reinforcing member having angularly disposed arms 3 and 4. One of these arms 3 is disposed normally to the plate with its upper edge welded to the plate adjacent the edges thereof. Preferably this reinforcing member is welded to the lower surface of the metallic plate right at the edge, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3. The other arm 4 of the reinforcing member is disposed substantially parallel to the plate and preferably projects toward the middle of the plate. The reinforcing member extends around the perimeter of the plate and may be made in one continuous reinforcing member or of a plurality of members mitred and welded together at the corners 6, as shown in Fig. l. One or more stiifeningV members 8 are provided, each having a substantially vertical stem 9 and a substantially horizontal flange l0. The stem 9 is disposed normal to the plate and has its upper edge welded to the plate and the opposite ends of the flange Il! are weldedto the reinforcing member at When the Vhorizontal arm 4.of the reinforcing member projects toward the middle of the door, the ends of the stiffeners 8 are preferably welded directly to this horizontal flange or may overlap this horizontal flange 4 and be welded to both the horizontal flanges 4 of the reinforcing member (as shown at l5) and also to the vertical arm 3 of the reinforcing member (as shown at I6). See Fig. 4.

In the modification shown in Figs. 5 and 6 I have shown the stiffener 2E! comprising a rolled T-section. This stiifener is also shown with its middle portion 2| of greater width than the reinforcing member. The edge reinforcing member is shown with its horizontal arm 22 projecting away from the middle of the door. Such a construction may be necessary in wide doors to obtain greater strength. l

In the modification shown in Figs. 7 and 8 I have shown one straight stiifener 30 and oppositely disposed bent stiffeners 3|, all welded together adjacent the center of the door and with their ends welded to the reinforcing member 32.

In the modification shown in Figs. 9, 10 and 11 the reinforcing member comprises a plurality of parts, 40, 4| and 42, some of which have the horizontal flange extending inwardly (43) and the other flanges extending outwardly (44).

The stiffener 5|) extends continuously between opposite diagonal corners of the door and stiffener 5| extends betweenthe other opposite diagonal corners and has the vertical stem cut away for the diagonal stiifener 5|). The horizontally disposed portion, however, of the stiffener 5| extends uninterruptedly between the opposite corners of the door. The ends of the stiffeners 50 and 5l are welded to the marginal angular stifener.

In the modification shown in Figs. 14 and 15 the stifleners 60 extend from the corners of the door, but do not cross each other, but instead are Welded together adjacent the middle of the door.

The accompanying drawings illustrate the preferred form of the invention, though it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the exact details of construction shown and described, as it is obvious that various modifications thereof, Within the scope of the claims, will occur to persons skilled in the art.

I claim:

1. A door for a railway car comprising a metallic plate, a reinforcing member having angularly disposed arms, one of said arms disposed normally to the plate with the edge thereof welded to the plate adjacent the edge thereof, the other of said arms disposed substantially parallel to the plate, said reinforcing member extending around the perimeter of the plate, and a stiffener having a stem and a flange, said stem disposed normally to the plate with the edge thereof welded to the plate and with the opposite ends of the flange welded to said reinforcing member.

2. A door for a railway car comprising a met-allic plate, a reinforcing member having angularly disposed arms, one of said arms disposed normally'to the plate with the edge thereof welded to the plate adjacent the edge thereof, the other of said arms disposed substantially parallel to the plate and projecting toward the middle thereof, said reinforcing member extending around the perimeter of the plate, and a stiifener having a stem and a flange, said stem disposed normally to the plate with the edge thereof welded to the plate and with the opposite ends of the flange welded to the last mentioned arm ofthe reinforcing member.

3. A door for a railway car comprising a metallic plate, a reinforcing member having angularly disposed arms, one of said arms disposed normally to the plate with the edge thereof welded to the plate adjacent the edge thereof, the other of said arms disposed substantially parallel to the plate, said reinforcing member extending around the perimeter of the plate, and a stiifener having a stem and a flange, said stem disposed normally to the plate with the edge thereof welded to the plate and with the opposite ends of the flange welded to said reinforcing member, the middle of the stiffener being of greater Width than the reinforcing member.

4. A door for a railway car comprising a metallic plate, a reinforcing member having angularly disposed arms, one of said arms disposed normally to the plate with the edge thereof welded to the plate adjacent the edge thereof, the other of said arms disposed substantially parallel to the plate and projecting toward the middle thereof, said reinforcing member extending around the perimeter of the plate, and a stiffener having a stem and a flange, said stem disposed normally to the plate with the edge thereof welded to the plate and with the opposite ends of the flange overlapping and we-lded to the last mentioned arm of the reinforcing member.

5. A door for a railway car comprising a metallic platea reinforcing member having angularly disposed arms, one of said arms disposed normally to the plate with the edge thereof welded to the plate adjacent the edge thereof, the other of said arms disposed substantially parallel to the plate, said reinforcing member extending around the perimeter of the plate, and a T-shaped stiffener having a stem and a ange, said stem disposed normally to the plate with the edge thereof welded to the plate and with the opposite ends of the flange welded to said reinforcing member.

GARTH G. GILPIN. 

